


Dinner

by orphan_account



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: F/M, i am bitter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-10-08 20:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10395870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Set during S03E04. Instead of going on a tinder date, Hardy cooks dinner for his daughter and best friend.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Very quick fic because I am very bitter

_‘I dreamt I was at Axehampton, lying next to the waterfall.’_

Ellie’s words are chasing each other in his head on a circuit, around and around until he feels he might go mad. He knows how traumatised she must still be from Joe, and he knows that meeting all these potential suspects and speaking to Trish is taking a heavy toll on her.

He wonders if there might be a way to make it better.

‘Miller,’ he says towards the end of the day, and stands awkwardly at her desk. She looks up at him, her eyes bright but edged with grey bags that betray how tired she is. ‘Erm…’

She waits patiently for him to continue. He taps his fingers on her desk.

‘I’m, er. Going home early tonight. Promised Daisy I’d cook for her. Haven’t seen her much since we’ve been so busy, and... well…’

He breaks off with a grimace and the corners of Ellie’s mouth twitch upwards. A look of unbridled delight crosses her face, but she still waits for him to finish. The tension builds up and up, and then -

‘Y’should come,’ he concludes in one final burst. 'T'my house.'

‘Are you asking me over for dinner?’ she asks, still grinning at him. 

He looks everywhere in the room but at her, and manages to nod.

‘You _arrre,_ ’ she says in a sing-song voice. ‘Look at you, you’re learning! You’re having a colleague over for dinner like a normal human being! Oh _Harrrdy_ , I’m so proud.’

‘Do you want to come or not?’ he snaps.

She’s still looking at him with fond amusement. ‘Give me half an hour to finish?’ she asks, gesturing to the paperwork. 

He assents with a grunt, and goes back to his office.

It takes a while for his heartbeat to return to normal.

*

‘Hello darling, how are you?’ Ellie asks. She swoops in and kisses Daisy on the cheek when she enters the house. ‘Hope you don’t mind me crashing your dinner, but your dad’s owed me a proper meal for ages.’

‘That’s okay,’ says Daisy cheerfully. ‘How was work, dad?’

‘Awful, as usual,’ Hardy groans, and he kisses Daisy’s cheek too.

‘Any closer to solving the case?’ 

He takes off his jacket and drapes it over the back of a chair. Ellie takes off her shoes, then removes her orange jacket.

‘Closer every day,’ he replies, rolling up his sleeves. ‘But still no end in sight.’

Daisy looks a little gloomy at the prospect.

‘But we’ll catch him, darling, don’t you worry,’ Ellie puts in.

‘Did you defrost the fish?’ Hardy asks as he heads into the kitchen.

‘In the fridge,’ Daisy replies.

‘We’re having fish?’ Ellie asks. Hardy disappears, bent double as he roots around in the fridge. 

‘Dad’s gonna do his famous healthy fish and chips for us,’ Daisy says.

Ellie looks at him with some surprise and trepidation as he emerges, clutching the fish and a number of green leafy things she does not care for. He then begins to pull potatoes out of the cupboard.

‘Healthy fish and chips?' she echoes at last, and she speaks as if this is a deep personal betrayal.

‘Anything to stop Daisy eating that rot at the local chippy,’ Hardy remarks.

‘Right, I’ll remember that next time I go there,’ Ellie says, looking offended. ‘I’m never wasting money on buying you dinner, since you clearly don’t deserve Barry’s fish and chips.’

‘It’s actually pretty good,' Daisy says. ‘Roast potatoes with grilled fish and salad. But Ellie's right, it's not as good as the stuff from the chippy.'

‘Nothing could be as good as Barry's.'

‘Will you shut up about your stupid fast food,' Hardy groans. 'I swear you have the palate of a ten year old.'

‘At least I actually _eat_ something, unlike you,' Ellie snaps.

This starts an argument. Daisy watches them like she’s watching the tennis, her head turning side to side as they hit insults back and forth. A smile curls her lips.

‘Is this what it’s normally like when you work together?’ she asks.

‘Oh no, he’s usually much worse,’ Ellie cuts in before Hardy can answer. ‘Much more grouchy and shouty. He’s behaving himself because you’re here.’ 

He makes an exasperated noise. ‘Are you gonna help me peel the potatoes or not?’

‘See how he orders me around?’ Ellie says. She rolls up her sleeves and goes to the sink to wash her hands. ‘Morning, noon and night I get this.’

She flicks water at Hardy and he growls at her to stop it.

‘You guys are weird,’ Daisy declares. ‘I’m going to finish my homework.’

She leaves them alone in the kitchen. Ellie giggles.

‘This is fun. Dinner with the Hardys.' 

'How’m I doing so far?’ he asks.

'At being the host?' she thinks about it as they set about washing and peeling the potatoes. ‘Well, typically the host should do all the cooking.' She skins a potato with enthusiasm. ‘The guest should always offer to help in the kitchen, out of courtesy, but the host has to graciously decline. Not delegate potato peeling.’

‘Ah.’ He furrows his brow. ‘I just thought… since it takes longer to roast the potatoes, it’d be easier -’

‘Oh, I’m only teasing. I’d’ve come into the kitchen to annoy you anyway.’ They settle into a rhythm. ‘Daisy goes to the same school as my boy Tom, doesn’t she?’

He nods. ‘Few grades ahead.’

‘She must nearly be close to graduating, right? Any plans for after that?’

‘Um. She’s got a few universities in mind.’ 

‘She doing well so far?’ 

‘Pretty well. Got a fairly active social life too. Made lots of friends right away when she moved here.’

‘I take it she didn’t get that skill from your side of the family.’

He thinks that comment is slightly uncalled for, but she says it so lightly that it does not bother him. Ellie gets out the chopping board and starts slicing up the potatoes. He grunts.

‘Y’need to cut them evenly,’ he says. ‘If you cut them all different sizes, they won’t all cook properly.’

‘Remind me why I’m being told how to cook by a man who doesn’t eat?’ Ellie complains. Their hands brush as he takes the knife from her. He slices the potatoes with prodigious care, until all the pieces are almost perfectly the same size. ‘There, y’see? That’s how you do it. Now you try.’

She throws the potato skins at him instead.

*

‘He’s such a fusspot, your dad,’ Ellie whispers to Daisy. Her elbow is propped on the dining table, her chin resting on her upturned palm. She’s looking in the direction of the kitchen, where Hardy is visible bent over the plates of food, putting the final touches on.

‘I know,’ Daisy sighs. ‘You ever tried to eat with him at a restaurant? He complains about _everything._ ’

‘I wouldn’t know. He never seems to bloody eat when he’s with me. Except for those salads of his, when he remembers to pack them.’

She leans in conspiratorially. ‘I’ll tell you a secret. I _hate_ salad. But I always eat his, when he makes one for me. Just couldn’t bear to see the look on his little face if I rejected him. Be like kicking a puppy, wouldn't it? A grouchy puppy. But still.' 

Hardy comes in bearing two plates of food. He sets them down in front of Ellie and Daisy, and Ellie’s face falls when she sees that the elaborate salad takes up more than half the plate.

She wrinkles her nose at Daisy behind his back and the teenager laughs.

‘What are we laughing about?’ he asks as he comes in with his own plate.

‘Nothing,’ Daisy says.

‘It looks great. Thanks, sir,' Ellie says, picking up the utensils.

‘Do you still make her call you sir?’ Daisy looks at her father in surprise. ‘I thought you two were friends.’

That catches Hardy off guard. ‘We are friends,’ he says before he can stop himself.

‘Are we?’ Ellie asks. She spears a potato. ‘That’s news to me. I thought we were just colleagues.’

‘No, we’re…’ Hardy trails off, and falls silent.

‘Dad calls you his friend,’ Daisy supplies.

‘Daisy!’

‘Well you do!’ Daisy protests. ‘You called me up and you asked if it was all right if you brought a friend tonight.’

‘Oh Hardy, you do care,’ Ellie says. She touches his hand and he jerks out of her grip.

‘Stop it.’

He spends the rest of the night getting teased by his friend and his daughter.

For some reason, he thinks, _I could get used to this._

 *

Ellie helps Hardy clear away the plates afterwards. They are stacking the dishwasher when there is a knock at the door.

‘I’ll get it,’ Hardy says. He opens the door to reveal a blonde teenager he recognises.

‘Chloe!’ Ellie says in surprise. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Oh, hey Ellie,’ Chloe says. ‘Didn’t realise you were here. Mr Hardy. Is Daisy in?’

Daisy approaches curiously and Hardy stands to one side to admit the girl.

‘I didn’t realise you two knew each other,’ Ellie continues.

‘We go to the same school,’ Chloe explains. ‘Um. Daisy, I wanted to talk to you about something, if that’s all right.’

Daisy glances at her father, who nods his assent. ‘Yeah,’ Daisy says. ‘My bedroom’s this way.’

The teenagers disappear into her room. Ellie makes an impressed face at Hardy.

‘You weren’t kidding about her making friends easily,’ she says.

'She definitely doesn't get that from me,' Hardy says with a soft huff.

'Oh, I don't know. I think you're doing all right for yourself.'

Ellie starts rummaging in her coat, looking for her phone. He watches her carefully.

‘So.’ Hardy breathes in, folds his hands together in front of him, and breathes out. ‘Are you… um, doing okay? With the case and everything?’

‘Is this you doing the supportive boss again?’ Ellie asks, her eyebrow quirking. 

He thinks about it, then nods.

She looks quietly touched. 'Best thing is to just solve the case,' she says stoically. 'Get the bastard off the streets.'

He glimpses her bottom lip quiver, just a little bit, a window into the great grief she holds inside her. He decides not to probe any further. 'You going home now?'

She is pulling on her coat as she checks her phone. 'Yeah. It's still early, so I'll go and spend some time with the boys. They -'

She stops short. Her coat is hanging off one arm and she is staring at her bright phone screen.

‘Oh my God,’ she says. She looks up at Hardy. ‘The swabs they took from Trish Winterman - we’ve got a match with one of our men.’

‘Who?’ he asks, taking the phone and squinting at it. Then his mouth hardens into a line. They exchange a swift glance.

Ellie yanks her coat on and fumbles for her car keys. Hardy strides to Daisy’s bedroom and knocks. 

'Ellie and I are going to chase up a lead,' he says when she answers the door. 'Will you and - erm...'

'Chloe,' Daisy supplies with a sigh.

'Chloe. Will you and Chloe be all right here alone?'

'Yeah. You go.'

He stoops to give her a quick hug. 

'Thanks for tonight,' Daisy says as she embraces him. 'I've missed you at home.'

He grunts. 'Will we try for the same time tomorrow night?'

She lights up at the thought and nods. 

'No promises,' Hardy cautions. 'But I'll try. I love you, darlin'.'

Daisy is too embarrassed to return the I love you with her new friend so close, so she just mumbles something inaudible and closes the door.

'Got your coat?' Ellie asks. Hardy seizes the article off the back of the chair and the two of them walk outside to Ellie's car. She unlocks it and the car flashes once. Just as they reach the doors, she speaks.

‘Hey, Hardy.’

He looks over the top of the car at her. ‘What?’

She smiles at him. ‘Thanks for dinner,’ she says, and he could swear he felt that smile pierce his heart.


End file.
